On September 17, the African American Steering Committee (AASC) hosted their online meeting. In addition to Committee business, the meeting featured the panel discussion, “Breaking It Down,” a conversation with Director Maurice Marable.
In a conversation moderated by AASC Co-Chair Jeff Byrd, Marable discussed his work as the Director/Executive Producer of the new series Woke, which premiered on Hulu this month.
Inspired by the life and work of artist Keith Knight, Woke follows the story of Keef, an African-American cartoonist finally on the verge of mainstream success when an unexpected incident changes his life. With a fresh outlook on the world around him, Keef must now navigate the new voices and ideas that confront and challenge him, all without ruining everything he’s already achieved.
Following the moderated portion of the event, Marable took questions from the online audience.
About the Panelists:
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 Maurice Marable
In addition to directing six of the first eight episodes of Woke, Marable’s directorial credits include episodes of Brockmire, Lodge 49, The Last O.G., Insecure, Suits, Hap and Leonard, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Veep and The Game. He has been a DGA member since 2004 and has served as an alternate on the Eastern Directors Council.
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 Jeffrey W. Byrd (moderator)
Byrd made his debut with the short film Breakdown in 1997. He would go on to direct the features King’s Ransom and A Beautiful Soul; the movies for television Seventeen Again and Jasper, Texas; and episodes of the series Dynasty, The Flash, Charmed, Black Lightning, Soul Food and Single Ladies. A DGA member since 1999, he has served on the Western Directors Council and previously served two terms as the AASC as Co-Chair from 2014 to 2018 and as the AASC Director category rep from 2018-2020.
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About the Committee:
The African American Steering Committee (AASC) was born of a desire to address the specific needs of the African-American members of the Directors Guild. One of the primary goals of the Committee is to establish a productive line of communication between African-American members and the creative community. The Committee meets monthly to plan events throughout the year celebrating the achievements of African-Americans, as well as forums with industry executives to proactively address what can be done to hire more African-Americans.
See video from this event in the gallery below.